North to Alaska

One of the trips that I looked forward to all year was the trip to Juneau, Alaska. I think everyone wonders what Alaska is like and what type of people live in our largest state. The flight into Juneau was one that I will never forget. We left Seattle, Washington on our way to Ketchican. The plane made three attempts to land in a blinding snowstorm and was successful on the third. The runway was covered and the snow was not letting up. We left for Juneau and after one attempt at a sideways landing, the pilot wisely headed to Anchorage. We slept in the airport and left for Juneau at 6:00AM the next morning. Juneau is normally very rainy and the snow was unusual according to the locals. The sun was barely up at around 8:00AM and the couple that we shared a cab said that it might be the last time that we saw the snow. They were right!!!

The people were very nice and really liked to talk. My good friend Kevin Ritchie acted as our guide and took us to the Mendenhall Glaicer and other sites. Kevin is the former Executive Director of the Alaska Municipal League and is a really great guy. We got to visit his home and had lunch overlooking Downtown Juneau. He has a really nice home and he is training a new Golden Retriever puppy.

Alaska is really all that everyone says it is. The beauty of the snow covered mountains is something that I will never forget. We got to see several eagles and apparently this was not unusual. The snow was about three feet deep and it really gets you in the mood for Christmas. I don't know if I could take it all winter, but it was really nice to walk down snow covered streets and just enjoy the scenary.

All in all, it was a very nice visit to Alaska.